The Rule of Law – lessness

The Founding Fathers were terrified of the tyranny of the majority. It was one of the reasons why they wrote and structured the Constitution as they did.

Now, 225 years of Senatorial rules and procedure have been swept aside in the latest, blatant pursuit of power. Senator Harry Reid, (D-NV), with the blessing of the President, effectively gutted the filibuster rule by a vote of 52-48 requiring 60 Senate votes to move nominees along the approval path. Another example in the rule of law-lessness, Chicago-style, that is being practiced by the current occupant of the White House and his Senate henchman. Because the President is peeved that his move to pack the the U.S. Court of Appeals – D.C. Circuit with his three nominees has been held up by a strident Republican minority, Harry Reid wielded the “nuclear option” erasing the intent of the Founding Fathers as to how the Senate body should function.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is a highly valuable prize in the Obama arsenal of influence, since it hears most of the significant regulatory cases and other critical pieces of legislation. Currently, this Court tilts toward the GOP, so in an effort similar to Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court in the 30’s, Obama now wants to pack away in an effort to garner more favorable opinions. Hence, Harry Reid, Obama’s senatorial co-conspirator, forces through the vote effectively stripping away the filibuster from judicial nominees. As Obama boasted that his election would “fundamentally transform America”, we are seeing the imprint of his duplicity now on our court system. And it won’t stop there.

From the Obamacare employer mandate being delayed, to the gutting of the welfare work rules, to the non-enforcement of some immigration laws as some of the more notable instances, this Administration and its minions have shown a complete contempt for the Constitution and rule of law. Obama’s ‘oppose me and I’ll label you racist or worse’ strategy has silenced the opposition, such as it is. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-TN) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) have been effectively neutered, not only by this strategy but by their own ineptitude and bitter attempts to cling to power. Newsflash to McConnell and McCain — the Tea Party is not the enemy. Both senators and the House Speaker Boehner (R-OH) have been tacitly complicit in the crumbling of the rule of law and the Constitution itself.

The effects of Obamacare are slowly seeping deep into the national consciousness. It’s unfortunate that only when the average Joe and Jane finally get clobbered in their pocketbooks that they finally pay attention to what has been happening these last five years. “Hope and change” have now turned into “nope and change it back.” Given the inclinations of the voting public, now being raised on an assortment of Honey Boo Boo and Dancing with the Stars, the hope that I currently have in my fellow Americans to wreak havoc in the election booths in 2014 and restore the rule of law is tempered by the fact that November 2014 is still a long ways off. Obamaphones may be replaced with Obamatablets, and the IRS may yet again target those who write and/or support opposing candidates (did they ever stop).

Unless the GOP finally begins to stand for something and defines it in Twitter terms and bytes for the low-information voter, and begins to field candidates that aren’t afraid to stand up for and fight what they believe in, 2014 may the year that returns us to the days of the Wild West, where the rule of law depended upon who had the fastest gun, or was the fastest talker, or who was sitting in the judge’s bench. We can thank Harry Reid for the latter. We can only blame ourselves for the rest.